Sunday, February 19, 2012

grand theft auto III
10th anniversary edition

PLATFORM: iPad
RELEASE DATE: 12/2011
PUBLISHER: Rockstar Games
RATING: 17+

One of the best selling games of all time, re-released for iPad for only $4.99, what a steal! Without hesitation I had to pick this up, if only to see how they translated the PS2's controls over to the touch screen of the iPad.

The crime-ridden streets of Liberty City are at your fingertips. This sandbox-style adventure game will have you pow-wowing with lowlifes and hob-knobbing with hookers, just like the original. The GTA franchise is famous for its mix of the third person shooter and racing game genres. Steal any car you like, knock down old ladies crossing the street and/or become the most wanted criminal in all the city. The choice is yours in GTA III.

The translation of the PS2's analog sticks into on screen touch controls takes some getting used to and accuracy definitely suffers a bit. A bonus is the on screen controls are not in a fixed position and appear wherever your thumbs end up landing, which is clutch and I hope more games start doing this. Your buttons are now very specific: one for open door, one for use weapon and one toggles running and walking. Similar buttons correspond for driving: gas, break/reverse, star left and right.

My only major complaint is the constant quitting of the app. The current build is clearly not stable and I'm hoping this will be addressed with an update soon. In addition to quitting on it's own the "quit" button is located dangerously close to the map button causing further frustration. I think this could also be moved or eliminated all together in a future update as well.

GTA III is really a fun game. It may be a little past it's prime and you can see this in the graphics. I was hoping the game might get an HD makeover but that's not the case here. Be prepared to see exactly what you saw in 1991, which can be shocking because your memory of something is often better than the real thing.

B
A potential iPad port masterpiece, if they can stabilize it




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